Posts from The Kitchn Cure

After deep-cleaning the oven, the stovetop, the range hood, and all the small appliances, today's assignment for The Kitchn Cure is a fun one: buy that small appliance for your kitchen that you need! After a little brainstorming, I quickly got to work on that one thing I've been wanting for my kitchen for quite some time.

Today we take a break from cleaning to do something fun: shop! If you really need a new pan or small appliance, now's the time to get it. This is your reward for all the deep cleaning you did this week. And here you thought The Kitchn Cure was going to be all work and no play...

One of the Kitchn Cure tasks earlier this week centered on reevaluating our pots, pans, and small appliances in the kitchen. Now that I have an "edited" kitchen space, it's time to clean everything I kept! After cleaning the oven, stovetop, and range hood this week, cleaning the small stuff should be a breeze.

This is the last cleaning assignment for this week, friends! You've really gotten down and dirty these last few days, but give it one more push today and all the major stuff will soon be behind you.

Before we get to today's task, though, here's something that should cheer you up: remember on Monday when you sorted through your small appliances and got rid of the ones you don't need or use? Well, that means you have fewer things to clean today. Score!

I have a small stove in my kitchen. There's nothing that makes me realize this more than culinary school, where the stoves are big, the flames are even, and I don't have to use a lighter to turn on the burners every time I want to cook. That being said, it helps me make a lot of delicious things, and I love that's it's gas, so it's time to make peace with it's size and give it a well-deserved cleaning.

If you cook every day, your stovetop inevitably gets dirty. Spills and splatters are a natural part of cooking. You may be in the habit of doing a quick wipedown after every use, but sometimes you just need to dig in and give the whole stovetop a thorough cleaning. The same goes for your range hood, if you have one, and that hood filter. (Never cleaned that before? No problem — we'll tell you how.)

I've cleaned my oven exactly once in the last two years. That one time was due out of necessity more than desire: An oil spill in my oven caused a lot of smoke and and an awful smell. It was not fun to clean up that mess. Not even a little bit. This time around, however, I was ready to tackle the project head-on with a little more grace and the help of some baking soda and dish detergent.

Let's turn our attention to the oven, people, because this whole cleaning business is about to get serious. Has it been a few months since you've cleaned your oven? A few years? Or perhaps you have a rental oven that's never been cleaned at all. (It happens.) Repeat after me: your oven needs some lovin' — so let's get to it!

Today's Kitchn Cure assignment was a tough one for me. I have a hard time throwing things away (thanks, Mom). What if I end up needing that one thing I tossed out months down the line? What if someone gave me something and I get rid of it and then they ask me about it? Ugh, so awkward. But it's time to face the harsh facts of cleaning and organizing your kitchen. I'm ready for it — are you?

Welcome to Week 2 of The Kitchn Cure! We're moving on from the fridge and freezer this week to focus on your other appliances, both big and small. But first, we need to talk about pots, pans, and small electrics — namely, what do you have, what do you need, and how well is it organized? It's time to honestly look at how you cook and see how well that matches with the stuff you keep around.